Wolverine Movie Leaked Online a Month in Advance

An unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine starting appearing all over the Net yesterday, according to a report by the New York Times. The last time a major summer tentpole film has been leaked online several weeks before its release was in 2003.

An unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine starting appearing all over the Net yesterday, according to a report by the New York Times. The last time a major summer tentpole film has been leaked online several weeks before its release was in 2003.

However, this is the first time a film with massive box office potential has been leaked a full month before its release. Typically, pirated copies become available a day or two after the movie plays in theaters. The last time a leak of this magnitude happened was in 2003 for the comic-book film Hulk, which had an unfinished copy on the Internet two weeks before its release.

An official response to the leak by 20th Century Fox, which produced the movie, was posted on HitFix:

"Last night, a stolen, incomplete and early version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine
was posted illegally on a website. It was without many effects, had
missing and unedited scenes and temporary sound and music. We
immediately contacted the appropriate legal authorities and had it
removed. We forensically mark our content so we can identify sources
that make it available or download it. The source of the initial leak
and any subsequent postings will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of
the law - the courts have handed down significant criminal sentences
for such acts in the past. The FBI and the MPAA also are actively
investigating this crime. We are encouraged by the support of fansites
condemning this illegal posting and pointing out that such theft
undermines the enormous efforts of the filmmakers and actors, and above
all, hurts the fans of the film."